MALE: Ballot counting began late yesterday in elections in the Maldives to choose a new president and avert a constitutional crisis after two previous attempts to select a leader were scuttled.
Opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed, ousted as president nearly two years ago in what he called a coup, is seeking to return to power and hoping for a first-round victory.
The independent Elections Commission began counting ballots after the polls closed and said it expected initial results by early today. “Polling proceeded smoothly and peacefully across the country,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The election was observed by over 2,000 local and foreign monitors across the archipelago of 1,192 tiny coral islands.
However, a run-off planned for Sunday in the event no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote may be in doubt, Chief Elections Commissioner chief Fuwad Thowfeek told reporters in the capital Male.
The two other candidates, Abdulla Yameen and Qasim Ibrahim, were yet to approve voter lists, a requirement by the Supreme Court for a run-off to take place, he said, threatening a constitutional crisis.
Under the constitution, a new president must be sworn in by tomorrow. AFP
